Five Travel to Winter Air Gun Championships

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Five members of the No. 3-ranked West Virginia University rifle team will compete at the USA Shooting Winter Air Gun Championships, Dec. 6-8, at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

“The majority of the top air rifle shooters will be at this event,” says coach Jon Hammond. “It’s a really good match to get national experience, and it’s at the Olympic Training Center, which is one of the best venues in the country.”

The three-day event serves as a tryout for the US National Team and the 2014 World Cup Team.

The competitors will shoot air rifle relays each day. There will be men’s and women’s open as well as junior competitions, consisting of shooters younger than 21 years old. There also will be a final each day.

A new international scoring rule will be implemented this weekend, giving each shot a possible score of 10.9, allowing for a potential 645 relay score.

“The new international scores split the field up more,” Hammond explains. “There will be very distinct scores this weekend, which should make for a better and tougher competition.”

Returning for his second year at the championships, Spurgeon boasts a 590 air rifle average this season. He shot sixth overall in the men’s junior category at the 2012 championships with a 1766 aggregate mark.

Kyanko and Kiisk also are veterans of the championships, as they competed in the men’s open last year. Kyanko shot a combined 1734 mark, while Kiisk placed 16th overall with a 1748 showing.

A full recap of this weekend’s events will be available at WVUSports.com on Sunday.